County seeks to demolish old jail

By Cindy Warrick for the Daily News

Published 6:04 am, Monday, May 16, 2011

The Midland County commissioners gave approval at a special board meeting Friday to seek $2.5 million in outside funding to demolish the old jail facility attached to the Midland County Courthouse. Also included in that project is the renovation and relocation of the Friend of the Court office which would occupy a portion of the County Services Building. It currently occupies a portion of the jail space considered for demolition.

Midland County Administrator/Controller Bridgette Gransden said, "We already have approximately $900,000 in 'transition funds' from building the new jail that would be applied to the project. An additional $2.5 million will need to be raised from outside sources."

Gransden added, "I have the letters ready to go out. I was just waiting for the approval resolution to get going. Since this involves a historic facility, we are hoping area foundations will help support the project."

Included in the project is approximately $575,000 dedicated to the demolition of the jail and Friend of the Court, installation of a new emergency generator and utilities services; $690,000 for the removal of the fourth floor, security, and soft costs such as permits and design fees; a 15 percent contingency as a level of insurance for the unknown due to the age of the courthouse; $900,000 for metal panels for holding cell configuration and jail transport diversion designs; $170,000 for linkage ramps between the holding facility and courthouse; $105,000 to finish Friend of the Court space; and $60,000 for miscellaneous site work including landscaping. Spence Brothers General Contractors, which built the new jail, was used for determining current costs for the proposed project.

The current jail building was built in 1957. With the 2010 completion of the new jail on Fast Ice Drive, the current facility will no longer be needed as a jail. Portions of the facility will remain as a holding facility to transition felons before their initial court hearings.

Ken Jandura of A.E. Com located in Washington D.C., has been working with the commission through two other previous studies. In 2003 his firm conducted a security study to determine the security needs of the courthouse. Prior to the new jail facility, his firm worked with the commission on a strategic long- and short-term study to provide for agency "breathing room" in the current courthouse.

Jandura's firm only works with courthouse structures and has a particular interest in historical buildings. He cited the Midland County Courthouse as being "one of the most beautiful courthouses in the country."

Included in the study was the moving of three of the offices currently in the courthouse. These are the Circuit Court Probation, Prosecuting Attorney, and the Friend of the Court offices. Jandura studied the fourth floor, currently vacant, in the County Services Building. He did a "test fit" to see if the three departments in question would fit comfortably on the fourth floor with room to expand. The fourth floor contains approximately 12,000 square feet of space. The three departments currently use just over 8,000 square feet. Jandura projected that within the next ten years space needs would approach 11,800 square feet leaving ample space for the three departments.

Kevin Beeson, courthouse Facilities Manager, stated that more is involved than just tearing down the building. Many of the utilities crisscross cross throughout the courthouse. He said, "The hot water may come from one side of the building and the cold water pipes from another."

Several factors were considered in the study: To maintain the current dispatch tower, to enhance the adjacent space in the courthouse, to eliminate or drastically minimize the co-mingling of felons and children.

The portion of the old jail building to be removed is the large multipurpose room and sky room space used for exercise. Eliminating this portion would lower the sight line of the building enhancing the historical façade. Grading of the Gordon Street side would return some of the original land slope to the facility.

The portion remaining would be the current security area. This would be reconfigured with two-inch thick metal walls for the holding cells. According to Jandura, "Other courthouses which use this type of wall configuration are more cost effective for future change."

Commissioner Howard Schoenherr questioned whether the Main Street entrance could be opened up for public use with this project. Jandura indicated it would up the cost of the whole project by up to more than an additional $3 million due to the added renovation and security.

He said, "Our plan is to keep the entrance behind the courthouse to save money and keep the security level existing there. The plan will drastically reduce and in some cases eliminate co-mingling issues which have existed with the current jail facility."

Gransden said a timeframe for the project will depend on securing enough funding.